Wheel truck



Dec. 13, 1949 KNAPP 7 2,491,318

WHEEL TRUCK Filed Nov. 8, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 vAvm RJ NAPP A TTORNfY Dec. 13, 1949 KNAPP 2,491,318

WHEEL TRUCK Filed Nov. s, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VE N TOR DAVID R KNAPP' ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 13,, 1949 PATENT 'or-Fi-c-E I WHEEL TRUCK -David:R; Knapp, Atlantic BeaghrFla yEthel Tom- -linstm -lvlae(3. Finley, and Elmer W. Nittinger emacutors or said David RfiKria'pp, deceased :A'lip'lifitiOIi'Nfivmbelfis, 1946f-Serial'f'NOI- 708;622 "3Claii'ns.. 2(Cl. 214 38) This invention Y relates-e generaliyw. to .-whee1ed trucksaandmorei particularlymoianew and-.ime provedLconstruetion-rofx-emergency truck .for"sup--- portingxthe .wheel .of a1 vehicle, disabled -as-byt reason of a fiat tireese as-to ;permit-r-the-.vehicle: to be driven under: its" own powernorr otherwise moved without damagesto-the --whee1. or.- tire.

.Among-vthe,.-principalwob=iects of therpresent -ine vention ris to ,-provide: aasimpie, inexpensive-and exceedingly rugged -andi durable r-wheeled itrncki of the character aforesaid uponrwh-ich the dis-- abled vehicle wheel =may,.be driizemfoncradled;

support thereby, the ,truckwof the -present invention being particularly ..characterized,. in that it is ,provided withsaiquiek-idetachabletramp which servesv as an iinclined .1runnway .fer, elevating the disabled Wheel tor-the heightmnecessaryrtoi be positioned inthe supportingzeradleof theitruckn 'It i is ..a further r and-simportant Vobject. of the. present invention .to..-so l operativlyrassociatethe detachable ramp with the wheeled truck as ta enable the. disabled wheel of thevehicleieither be driven forwardly ion .vtohthe truck or-torbe. backed thereon,v ,the {ramp being, provided. with;

means which restrain. .the ,truckifrom moving relativelyto the 'clisabled-.wheel duringihe operationtof loading, the latterronethe truck, as. iweil as with means v-whichnoperates automatically torren lease the-ramp fromdts soperativeiengagement with thetruck when"theqsametisloaded whereby; the rampmaybe removed bodily; .fromthe truck.

Still anotherx and {important object :of the. (pres? adaptedior-tthe rintern-al'recentionbfia wheel lubricant.

Other =tohjects.-:.an;deadvantages .oi the gpresent" invention will be apparent more fully hereinafter,-:v

it-b'eing understood ttii'at "thessaidiinventton :con-

sists inthe combination; iconstmctiomsi location. and relative arrangement of parts,:a1l as will ide 1 Figure 1 is a general wheeled-truck and its associated ramp;

. FIgMIB 2, is -a r top plan View thereof;

Figure '3 issaside; :elevational View thereof;

Figura isa transverse sectional view taken on p the-line 4-4-of-Figure3;

v Figure: 5 is attransverse sectional -viewtaken :on the line 5-5 of- Figure v-3;-

Figure 6 is a side-e1evational view, partially in longitudinal section showing the truck and ramp in. position. forathe loadingvthereon -of a disabled WheeLof a vehicle;

Figure}? is a.-view.-sim-i-lar to-Figure 6 showing the vehicle wheel-inrsupportedrposition on the.

truck; and

Y'Figure 8 is a: further similar view showing the ramp detached from y then wheeled truck.

Referring now to th e drawingait will be observed that thelwheeled truck of-the present invention comprises-:2} horizontally "disposed cradlel'ike framei com-posedof a pair of laterallyspaced longitudinally,exteridiiigstaridard pipe members Iii-[Othe rear ends of'which are interconnected by a pipe member I [by means of conventional pipeffittings l2; l2fandithe front ends of which project through and are interconnected by a plate I3ff'This. plate] 3.is preferably bored, as at l I l,

for. free passage 'therethrough of the forward portions --of "the dong'itudinally extending side members l'fl lllf of'the cradle frame, the said membersbeing fixedlysecuredto the plate by freemovementabouttheyertical axis of said described in 'deta'il herinafterxas shown in -th'eaccompanying draw-ings and' asfmally pointedput 1 in the appendedclaims;

In the accompanying drawingswhichiliustrate a: preferredteirrbodimeiittbf ithegpresent'invention;

means offnuts f5 threal'dedupon said members.

Suitably secure'd in any suitable mannerto the bottomsurface'of'the'plate i3 is a swivel plate I'Gjth'e center of. which is apertu'red, as at H; for upward? projection therethrough of the threaded shank [8 dia yoke l9"between the opposite sides of which is rotatablyljournalleda wheel 2! The yoke shank l'8' is"fitted"at itsupper-end with a nut'j2l', andrprefe'rablygthe yoke'is adapted for shank, 1 such movement "Jbeing "facilitated by the interposition of s'uitable ball' bearings 22 between the swivel plate 16 and th eupper bridge part 23oftheyoke:

The rear end i of t e truck "is provided with a' pair "or laterally spacedsupporting' wheels 14 -24" which" are respectively journalied for free rotation about "a pairfoif ""oppositelyprojecting stub shafts 25- 25 alsoiorm'ed' o'f'standard pipe stock, these stub shafts.beingrespectively secured, as bygmeans of the"right"'ang1e pipe fittings iii- 25, to the verticallyfext'e'ridin'g pipe members 21- 21 threadedinto thebottombpenings of the upper pi e fittings lizlzi' Theouterendsof the stub perspective view of the shafts 25 are preferably plugged, as at 28, so as to seal the hollow interior of said shafts and so provide a chamber for the reception of a lubricant, which is delivered to the internal bearing surfaces of the wheels 24-24 by way of ports 3% formed in the walls of the tubular stub shafts. The wheels 24-24, which are retained on their shafts by means of the retention nuts 29-49, are respectively spaced outwardly of the marginal side edges of the wheel-supporting cradle frame and in addition are preferably provided with relatively wide traction rims, in consequence of which the wheeled truck is of substantial stability and not readily subject to cant laterally about the longitudinal axis of the frame. It will be noted that the construction is such as to leave clear and unimpeded the space extending vertically between the rear member II of the cradle frame and the ground surface and laterally between the vertically extending side members 2'l2l.

Adapted for operative association with the wheeled truck is a quick-detachable tail-gate or loading ramp unit 3| comprising an elongated fiat number 32 of a width somewhat less than that of the cradle frame of the truck, said member 32 being provided at its leading end with a pair of laterally spaced ground-engaging stay pins 33-33. Preferably, in order to rigidify these pins, they are projected through a transverse block 34 which underlies the under surface of the member 32, the upper shank portions of the pins being externally threaded for reception of suitable locking nuts 35. Interposed between the member 32 and the block 34 is a connector member 38 having a portion 3'1 extending forwardly of the member 32, said portion being deflected below the plane of the member 32 and being provided at its free edge with an upwardly ex tending flange 38. As most clearly appears in Figure 2, the connector member 36 is of a width slightly less than the length of the transversely extending rear member of the wheeled truck measured between the fittings |2-i2, the general construction and arrangement of the loading ramp being such as to permit the connector member thereof to be quick-detachably en-, gaged with said rear member II of the truck as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 6. It will be observed that when so connected to the truck, the ramp member 32 of the loading unit lies in an inclined plane with the pointed ends of the pins 33-33 in engagement with the ground and the flange 38 of the connector member disposed in advance of the rear member ll of the truck.

In loading a disabled wheel into the cradle of the wheeled truck, the wheel with the flat tire, as illustrated by the dotted line representation in Figures 6, '7 and 8, is driven on to the inclined ramp 32 and thence into the truck cradle formed by the members l0, H and I3. Of course, for this loading operation the ramp is associated with the wheeled truck, as shown in Figured, in which condition the connector member 36 of the loading unit 3! underlies the rear transverse member 1 l of the wheeled truck, while the pointed ends of the stay pins 33 are in engagement with the ground. The weight of the load upon the ramp 32 causes the pointed ends of the stay pins to dig into the ground and so prevents forward movement of the ramp and of the wheeled truck as the load is transferred from the ramp to the truck. In this connection. it will be apparent that the forward movement of the truck is restrained by reason of the interconnection be- 4 tween the upstanding flange 38 of the ramp and the transversely extending member H of the truck, this interconnection being in the form of a loose coupling which is automatically disconnected when the load is fully transferred to the wheeled truck, as shown in Figure I, when the vehicle wheel with its flat tire is received within the cradle of the wheeled truck, the tread of the tire engages the upper edge of the coupling flange 38 and causes it to shift downwardly as the wheeled truck moves slightly forwardly and the ramp tilts about the pointed ends of the pins 33 into the raised inoperative position shown in Figure 7. In this latter position, the connector member 36 is fully disengaged from the transverse member ll of the wheeled truck in consequence of which the loading unit 3| may be bodily removed from the truck. Figure 8 shows the loading unit completely disengaged from the truck.

Inasmuch as the loading unit is thus automatically tilted into position for ready removal from the truck by the weight of the load received on the truck, it is an exceedingly simple matter to effect complete removal of the loading unit from its operative association with the truck. Also, because the loading unit is thus readily removable from the truck, the device of the present invention is equally adaptable for receiving any disabled wheel of a vehicle by either moving the vehicle forwardly upon the ramp or by backing it upon the ramp, the subsequent removal of the loading ramp from the loaded truck making it possible to move the vehicle in either direction without any such interference as would be occasioned were the ramp, with its ground-gripping pins, to remain interconnected with the truck.

It will be understood, of course, that the apparatus of the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the general principles and real spirit of the present invention and it is, accordingly, intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A wheel truck of the character described comprising, in combination, a wheel supporting frame of open rectangular form having a transversely extending rear member, a swivelled wheel at the front end of the frame and a pair of laterally spaced wheels at the rear end of the frame for supporting the same elevated above the ground, a loading unit operatively associated with the truck including a loading ramp having a pair of ground-gripping pins at its forward end adapted to support said ramp in inclined position upon the ground with its forward end disposed approximately in the horizontal plane of the elevated frame and in close proximity to the rear cludes a hook-shaped member projecting forwardly of the loading ramp and having a terminal element adapted for disposition in advance of the rear member of the frame.

3. In awheel truck of the character defined in claim 1 wherein said loose-coupling means includes a terminal element adapted for disposition 5 in advance of the rear member of the frame when said loading ramp is disposed in its inclined loading position as aforesaid, said terminal element being engageable by the tire of the vehicle wheel supported in the frame to depress the same below said frame member and tilt said loading ramp into position to permit its free removal from said frame.

DAVID R. KNAPP.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number 10 Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Tingley Aug. 8, 1893 Lemke Nov. 29, 1910 Knapp Apr. 23, 1940 Knapp May 30, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France May 3, 1932 

